Getting Started with Microsoft Project Online (02 - Adding users to Project Online)

We have worked with countless customers who signed up for Office 365 Project online at one time or another who became unsure of the process to set the solution up. After all, connecting the project online desktop client, updating tasks and multiple projects, connecting OData to Power Bi, or adding users can be a bit confusing at first with this project management tool.

Consider first there are the two permission modes mentioned in the previous video, 01 - Specify Permission Mode: SharePoint Permission Mode and Project Permission Mode. And each one has it's own unique way in which users are added. Then there's the added level of confusion of users vs. resources. What's the difference you ask?

Adding Users to Microsoft Project Online

What are Resources?

Well Resources are part of the Enterprise Resource Pool. They are able to be added to project teams using Microsoft Project Professional and may subsequently be assigned to tasks. These resources also show up in the Resource Center in Project Web App of MS Project Online.

What are Users?

Users on the other hand are those individuals that may log into the system and perform functions. They are not necessarily able to be assigned to tasks on projects. Users do not always have to be Resources.

Now that you know the difference between the users, lets go ahead and go over adding users. The video follows the same order as outlined below. I suggest watching the video as it contains quite a bit more detail.

Adding People: SharePoint Permission Mode

1. Login to Project Web App as administrator.
2. Click Gear in upper-right, then select Site Settings.
3. In Users and Permissions group, select Site Permissions.

Method: 1

1. Click on name of group in list (Project Managers for Project Web App),
2. then select New > Add Users.
3. In Share dialog, specify Users/Groups.
4. Click Share button.

Method: 2

1. Click on Grant Permissions.
2. Specify User/Group.
3. Click on Show Options and select appropriate group.
4. Click Share button.

Adding People: Project Permission Mode

1. Login to Project Web App as administrator.
2. In Security grouping, select Manage Users.
3. On Manage Users screen, select New User button.
4. Begin typing users name in the User logon account text box (select user when appears).
5. Click Save button.

Active Directory Synchronization: Project Permission Mode

Active Directory synchronization is a 2-step process.

• Resource Pool Synchronization: Adds resources to Enterprise Resource pool so they may be added to project teams and assigned to tasks.
• Does not handle group membership, therefore assigned to least permissive group (Team Members).
• Followed by Group synchronization in order to move resources to correct security group, if move is necessary.

Step 1: Resource Pool Synchronization

1. Login to Project Web App as administrator.
2. Under Operational Policies, click Active Directory Resource Pool Synchronization.
3. For Active Directory Group, specify the group that contains the name of all resources that should be assigned to tasks.
4. Click Save or Save and Synchronize Now.

Step 2: Security Group Synchronization

1. Login to Project Web App as administrator.
2. In Security grouping, select Manage Groups.
3. Click on desired Group Name.
4. Type group name to sync in Active Directory Group text box.
5. Click Save.
6. Click on Active Directory Group Sync Options.
7. Click Save and Synchronize Now.

Security Groups available for both permissions modes.

• Administrators Users have all global permissions as well as category permissions through the My Organization category. This allows them complete access to everything in Microsoft Project Online.
• Portfolio Viewers Users have permissions to view Project Online data. This group is intended for high-level users who need visibility into projects but are not themselves assigned project tasks.
• Project Managers Users have permissions to create and manage projects. This group is intended for project owners who assign tasks to resources.
• Portfolio Managers Users have assorted project-creation and team-building permissions. This group is intended for high-level managers of groups of projects.
• Resource Managers Users have most global and category-level resource permissions. This group is intended for users who manage and assign resources and edit resource data.
• Team Leads Users have limited permissions around task creation and status reports. This group is intended for persons in a lead capacity that do not have regular assignments on a project.
• Team Members Users have general permissions for using Project Online, but limited project-level permissions. This group is intended to give everyone basic access to Project Online.

In SharePoint Permission Mode, you cannot create additional custom groups, categories, Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) nodes, or edit the default permissions assigned to any of these objects.

There are two methods of adding users to the SharePoint groups: adding individual users, or using Active Directory groups to add users. You can use one or both of these methods for each group.

Related

• Change permission mode of Microsoft Project Online instance
• Project Online: Server Settings
• How to setup Active Directory Sync with Microsoft Project Online
• Project Server 2010: The “Create a New Task” and “Add Yourself to a Task” functionality explained
• Microsoft Project Online Consulting
• Microsoft Project Online Training